Method and system for a mesh network of satellite reception assemblies

ABSTRACT

A satellite reception assembly that provides satellite television and/or radio service to a customer premises may comprise a wireless interface via which it can communicate with other satellite reception assemblies. Wireless connections between satellite reception assemblies may be utilized for providing satellite content between different satellite customer premises. Wireless connections between satellite reception assemblies may be utilized for offloading traffic from other network connections.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to andclaims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/595,654 (Attorney Docket No. 24997US01) entitled “Method and Systemfor an Internet Protocol LNB (IP LNB)” and filed on Feb. 6, 2012.

The above-identified application is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This patent application makes reference to:

-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/326,125 titled “System and    Method in a Broadband Receiver for Efficiently Receiving and    Processing Signals” and filed on Dec. 14, 2011;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/546,704 titled “Method and    System for Multi-Service Reception” and filed on Jul. 11, 2012;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/585,930 titled “Method and    Apparatus for Content Protection and Billing for Mobile Delivery of    Satellite Content” and filed on Aug. 15, 2012; and-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/591,768 (Attorney Docket No.    25608US02) titled “Method and System for A Single Frequency Network    for Broadcasting to Mobile Devices” and filed on Aug. 22, 2012.

Each of the above applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present application relate to electronic networking. Morespecifically, to a method and system for mesh network of satellitereception assemblies.

BACKGROUND

Existing electronic networks often suffer from poor user experienceresulting from network failures, congestion, and/or other limitedconnectivity. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional andtraditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art,through comparison of such approaches with some aspects of the presentmethod and system set forth in the remainder of this disclosure withreference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method and/or system is provided for a mesh network of satellitereception assemblies, substantially as illustrated by and/or describedin connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth morecompletely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an example module that enables a mesh network ofsatellite reception assemblies.

FIG. 2 depicts an example implementation in which of the interfacemodule of FIG. 1 is part of a satellite reception assembly that isinstalled at a satellite customer premises.

FIG. 3 depicts an example network of satellite reception assemblies.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating the use of a network of satellitereception assemblies to provide satellite service in spite of poorreception of a satellite signal.

FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating the use of a network of satellitereception assemblies to maintain connectivity in spite of lost orcongested broadband connection.

FIG. 4C is a flowchart illustrating support of mobile content deliveryvia a network of satellite reception assemblies.

FIG. 4D is a flowchart illustrating self-healing of a network ofsatellite reception assemblies.

FIG. 5A is a flowchart illustrating discovery of satellite receptionassemblies that have available resources for serving satellite contentto another satellite reception assembly.

FIG. 5B is a flowchart illustrating discovery of satellite receptionassemblies that have available bandwidth for providing WAN connectivityto another satellite reception assembly.

FIG. 5C is a flowchart illustrating coordinated bandwidth allocationand/or traffic shaping between a wireline/fiber connection and aninter-satellite-reception-assembly connection.

FIG. 5D is a flowchart illustrating traffic shaping by a gatewayconnected to satellite reception assembly capable of direct wirelesscommunications with other satellite reception assemblies.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a network in which local ormetropolitan area networks of satellite reception assemblies areinterconnected via a wide area network.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example implementation in which multiplesatellite reception assemblies are networked via a network switch.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As utilizedherein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items in the list joinedby “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means any element of thethree-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example, “x, y, and/orz” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y),(x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the term “module” refersto functions than can be performed by one or more circuits. As utilizedherein, the term “exemplary” means serving as a non-limiting example,instance, or illustration. As utilized herein, the terms “e.g.,” and“for example,” introduce a list of one or more non-limiting examples,instances, or illustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is “operable”to perform a function whenever the circuitry comprises the necessaryhardware and code (if any is necessary) to perform the function,regardless of whether performance of the function is disabled, or notenabled, by some user-configurable setting. As utilized herein, “data”can be any type of information (e.g., audio, video, pictures, text,etc.) and data being conveyed is referred to as “traffic.”

FIG. 1 depicts an example module that enables a mesh network ofsatellite reception assemblies. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown asatellite 101, a module 112, a client 122, a WAN 120, and an interfacemodule 102 that comprises a broadcast receive module 104, a wirelessinput/output (I/O) module 106, a wired I/O module 108, and a routingmodule 124.

The satellite 101 may comprise any satellite transmitting on anyfrequency. In an example implementation, the satellite 101 may be adirect broadcast satellite (DBS) that transmits signals intended fordirect viewing/consumption (sometimes referred to direct-to-home (DTH)signals), rather than for redistribution (e.g., as part of a cabletelevision plant).

The modules 102 and 112 may be part of a local area network (LAN) andmay be interconnected via a LAN technology such as Ethernet (e.g.,Ethernet frames communicated over an Ethernet physical layer such as10/100/1G/10G/40GBASE-T). In an example implementation, each port of themodule 102 and the port of module 112 that connects to module 102 mayshare a common subnet address that is not shared with the port of themodule 112 that connects to the WAN 120. The module 112 may interfacethe LAN to a wide area network (WAN) 120 over broadband connection 126utilizing, for example, DOCSIS, DSL, Carrier Ethernet, ATM, Frame Relay,ISDN, x.25, and/or other suitable WAN technology. The WAN 120 may, forexample, backhaul traffic between wireless I/O module 106 and a cellularcore network.

The module 112 may be operable to direct (e.g., switch or route) trafficamong the connection 114 to the module 108, the connection 134 to theclient device 122, and the broadband connection 126 to the WAN 120. Themodule 112 may, accordingly, store routing tables and/or otherinformation for managing traffic flows. In an example implementation,the module 112 may be operable to perform various layers of one or morenetworking protocol stacks (e.g., Ethernet, TCP/IP, DOCSIS, etc.). In anexample implementation, the module 112 may be operable to transcode databetween the various formats used on the connections 114, 134, and 126.In an example implementation, the module 112 may be operable to managethe connection(s) over which particular data is transmitted based on aclass of service (and/or other characteristic(s)) of the traffic and/oron characteristics (e.g., latency, jitter, throughput, packet loss/errorrates, etc.) of one or more of the connections 114, 116, and 126.

The client 122 may comprise, for example, a television, digital videorecorder, personal computer, smartphone, tablet, or other end-userequipment which may receive, for example, media via the connection 134which may utilize, for example, an HDMI, USB, DisplayPort, IEEE 1394,and/or some other suitable protocol(s).

The various components of the module 102 may reside in one or morehousings and may comprise one or more printed circuit boards and/or oneor more integrated circuits (e.g., one or more silicon die).

The broadcast receive module 104 may be operable to receive broadcastsignals (e.g., satellite radio, satellite television, terrestrial radio,and/or terrestrial television signals) and process the receivedbroadcast signals to recover data (e.g., audio, video content, and/orauxiliary data related to audio and/or video content) carried therein.Accordingly, various implementations of the module 102 may comprisefeatures described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/546,704 whichis incorporated herein by reference as set forth above. In an exampleimplementation, the module 104 may perform channelization such thatspecific channels, streams, programs, etc. from the module 104 can beselectively conveyed to the module 124. In an example implementation,the module 104 may output data in the form of MPEG transport stream(s)to the module 124. In an example implementation, the module 104 mayencapsulate received data utilizing one or more protocols (e.g.,Internet Protocol) for output to the module 124.

The wireless module 106 may be operable to establish one or morewireless connections 116 with one or more devices (e.g., a cellularhandset, smartphone or tablet) and/or other instances of the wirelessmodule 106. The connection(s) 116 may utilize any suitable protocol(s)such as, for example, IEEE 802.11 protocols, WiGig, WiMAX, cellular(e.g., LTE), etc. The wireless module 106 may be configured via one ormore control signals (not shown) which may, in turn, be based on input(e.g., utilizing a protocol such as DiSEqC) from the module 112 and/orclient devices such as the client device 122.

The wired module 108 may be operable to communicate data with module 112via one or more connections 114 which may comprise, for example, one ormore coaxial cables. In an exemplary implementation, the wired I/Omodule 108 may be operable to output, onto the connection(s) 114, L-bandsignals received from the module 104. Such signals may be output ininstances that the module 112 is a legacy gateway. Additionally oralternatively, the module 108 may be operable to communicate over theconnection(s) 114 utilizing Ethernet, Multimedia over Coax Alliance(MoCA), and/or any other suitable protocol(s). Such communications maybe used, for example, when the module 112 is a gateway that iscompatible with an IP-LNB as described in U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/326,125, which is incorporated by reference above. In anotherexemplary implementation, the module 112 may support a wirelessconnection and the functionality of the wired module 108 may be subsumedby the module 106 and/or by a second wireless module. The wired module108 may be configured via one or more control signals (not shown) whichmay, in turn, be based on input (e.g., utilizing a protocol such asDiSEqC) from the module 112 and/or client devices such as the clientdevice 122.

The routing module 124 may be operable to selectively route data and/orsignals between the modules 104, 106, and 108. The routing module 124may, accordingly, store routing tables and/or other information formanaging traffic flows. The routing may be based, for example, on IPaddresses, TCP/UDP port numbers, packet identifiers (PIDs), streamidentifiers, class of service (and/or other characteristic(s)) of thedata to be routed, characteristics (e.g., latency, jitter, throughput,packet loss/error rate, etc.) on one or more of the links 116 and 114,and/or any other suitable parameters. For example, packets comprising afirst PID may be sent to the module 106 and packets comprising a secondPID may be sent to the module 108. In an example implementation, themodule 124 may be a digital and/or analog crossbar. In an exampleimplementation, the module 124 may perform an OSI layer-3 packet-routingfunction and/or an OSI layer-2 packet-switching function. The module 124may be configured via one or more control signals (not shown) which may,in turn, be based on input (e.g., utilizing a protocol such as DiSEqC)from the module 112 and/or client devices such as the client device 122.

In operation of an example implementation, module 102 may providesatellite broadcast (e.g., television and/or radio) service to theclient 122. In this regard, the broadcast Rx module 104 may receive asatellite signal (e.g., a DTH signal) and perform block down conversionto generate an L-band signal. The L-band signal may be conveyed to themodule 108 for support of legacy gateways. The module 104 may alsodemodulate the L-band signal to recover one or more MPEG transportstreams, channelize the transport stream(s) to recover one or moreprograms, and encapsulate the stream(s) and/or program(s) into one ormore packet streams (e.g., utilizing IP or some other suitableprotocol(s)). The one or more packet streams may be conveyed, via module124, to the module 108. The module 108 may decapsulate, encode,modulate, encrypt, and/or otherwise process the packet stream(s) togenerate signals suitable for transmission via the connection(s) 114.The module 112 may process the packet stream(s) (e.g., transcode fromEthernet to HDMI) and output the processed packet stream to the client122 for viewing/listening/etc.

In addition, or instead, of conveying the packet stream(s) to the wiredmodule 108, the module 124 may convey the packet stream(s) to thewireless module 106. The wireless module 106 may process the packetstream(s) (e.g., encapsulate IP packets into packets of one or morewireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX, WiGig, or LTE) and transmit thewireless packets via one or more wireless connections 116. At least onewireless connection 116 may be a direct wireless connection to anotheror similar instance of module 106 residing in another instance of module102. For example, the depicted module 102 may reside in a firstsatellite reception assembly installed on a first satellite customer'sroof and the other instance of module 102 may reside in a secondsatellite reception assembly installed on a second satellite customer'sroof. A “direct” wireless connection between a first instance of module106 and a second instance of module 106 may be one which does notrequire any routing or packet switching between the first instance ofmodule 106 and second instance of module 106. A “direct” wirelessconnection may, in some instances, traverse one or more physical layerdevices (e.g., a repeater, a wireless to wired adaptor, wired towireless adaptor, etc.) en route from one instance of module 106 toanother instance of module 106.

In addition, or instead, of receiving satellite signals via the module104, the module 102 may also receive signals via the module 106. Suchsignals may originate from, for example, mobile devices such assmartphones and tablets, and/or from other instances of the module 106.Signals received via the module 106 may be processed to recover one ormore packet streams contained therein, and the packet stream(s) may beconveyed to the module 124 for conveyance to the module 108.

In an example implementation, the module 102 may be configured so thatit can operate on backup battery power if there is a loss of AC power.

FIG. 2 depicts an example implementation in which of the interfacemodule of FIG. 1 is part of a satellite reception assembly that isinstalled at a satellite customer premises (e.g., a home or office of adirect broadcast satellite subscriber). In FIG. 2, there is shown theWAN 120, a gateway 212, a client 222, and satellite reception assembly202. The satellite reception assembly comprises a support structure 208having a boom 220 and to which a subassembly 204, an antenna 203, a feedhorn 205, and a parabolic reflector 206 are mounted. While the satellitereception assembly 202 shown comprises a satellite dish assemblycomprising parabolic reflector and a feed horn, the satellite receptionassembly is not so limited. For example, a satellite reception assemblycould comprise a planar or parabolic array of antenna elements and/orreceiver circuitry whose signals are combined for satellite signalreception.

In the example implementation of FIG. 2, the subassembly 204 is depictedas a single physical assembly mounted to the support structure 208 ofthe satellite reception assembly 202. In other implementations, thesubassembly 204 may comprise multiple physical assemblies, one or moreof which may reside physically separate from the satellite receptionassembly 202 and be connected to the satellite reception assembly 202via one or more wired and/or wireless links.

In the example implementation of FIG. 2, the satellite receptionassembly is mounted to a home or office of a satellite customer. Inother example implementations, the satellite reception assembly may bemounted to another structure such as a broadcast tower, cellular tower,street or highway sign, billboard, building, etc.

The routing module 230 may be an implementation of the module 124described above. Functions performed by the module 230 may comprise, forexample, routing of data between the IP-LNB module 224, the cellularbasestation module 226, and the Ethernet transceiver module 228.Although an implementation in which the routing module supports IP-basedrouting is described herein, any suitable protocols (e.g., Ethernet,PCIe, USB, etc.) can be utilized for communication of data betweenmodules 224, 226, 230, and 228.

The Ethernet transceiver 228 may be an implementation of the module 108described above. Functions performed by the module 228 may compriseencapsulation of data from the module 230 into Ethernet frames andtransmission of the Ethernet frames onto the connection(s) 114 inaccordance with Ethernet protocols. Additionally or alternatively,functions performed by the module 228 may comprise reception of Ethernetframes via the connection(s) 114, processing of the Ethernet frames torecover data carried therein (e.g., IP packets), and conveyance of therecovered data to the routing module 230.

The Internet Protocol LNB (IP-LNB) module 224 may be an implementationof the module 104 described above and may be as described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/326,125, which is incorporated herein byreference, as set forth above. In this regard, the nomenclature “IP-LNB”indicates that the subassembly 252 possesses capabilities, including butnot limited to support of the Internet Protocol, beyond the blockdownconversion of received satellite signals that is performed byconventional LNBs. Functions performed by the IP-LNB module 224 maycomprise, for example, downconverting received satellite signals,demodulating received satellite signals, channelizing received satellitesignals, and/or encapsulating data recovered from received satellitesignals into IP packets.

The wireless basestation and/or client module 226 may be animplementation of the module 106 described above. The module 226 maysupport any one or more suitable wireless protocols such as cellular(e.g., LTE), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, WiGig, and/or a proprietary wirelessprotocol. The module 226 may be operable to function as an access point(AP) or basestation for communicating with client devices (e.g., mobiledevices and/or other instances of the module 226 operating in a clientmode). Additionally or alternatively, the module 226 may be operable tofunction as a client device for communication with one or morebasestations or APs (e.g., other instances of the module 226 functioningas a base station or AP).

The client 222 may be a television or other television reception enableddevice, for example, and may be an implementation of the client 122described above.

The gateway 212 may be an implementation of module 112 described above.Functions performed by the gateway 212 may comprise reception,processing, and transmission of data. The gateway 212 may transmitand/or receive data to and/or from the module 228 (via connection(s)114), the WAN 120 (via broadband connection 126), and/or one or moreclient devices 222 (via one or more links 234). For data from the module228 to the client device 222 (e.g., providing satellite televisionservice to the client 222), the gateway 212 may recover the data fromEthernet frames received over the connection(s) 114 and output the datato the client device 222 (e.g., in HDMI format). For data from theclient 222 and/or gateway 212 to the module 228, the gateway 212 mayencapsulate the data in one or more Ethernet frames and output theframes onto the connection(s) 114. For data between the WAN 120 and themodule 228, the gateway 212 may perform OSI layer-2 switching and/or OSIlayer-3 routing. Although the implementation shown in FIG. 2 uses wiredlinks between the gateway 212 and module 228, and between the gateway212 and WAN 120, other may utilize wireless links. Although the gateway212 is depicted as separate from the subassembly 204, in otherimplementations at least a portion of the subassembly 204 may reside inand/or be implemented by the gateway 212, and vice versa.

FIG. 3 depicts an example network of satellite reception assemblies.Assemblies 202 ₁, 202 ₂, 202 ₅-202 ₇ are installed at satellite customerpremises (e.g., homes and/or offices which subscribe to satellitetelevision or radio). Assemblies 202 ₃ and 202 ₄ are installed oncellular towers. The assemblies 202 ₁-202 ₇ are interconnected viawireless connections 116 a-116 h and wired and/or optical connections126 a and 126 b. In the example implementation of FIG. 3, theconnections 126 a and 126 b may connect directly to the assemblies 202 ₁and 202 ₂, respectively, or may be via respective gateways 212 ₁ and 212₂ not shown in FIG. 3.

In the example implementation shown in FIG. 3, the assemblies, 202 ₁,202 ₂, 202 ₆, and 202 ₇ reside at satellite customer premises 302 a, 302b, 302 c, and 302 d, respectively. Each customer premises may be, forexample, a home or office of a satellite broadcast television customer.

In operation, data may be communicated between and among the assemblies202 ₁-202 ₇ via the wireless connections 116 a-116 h, the connections126 a and 126 b, and/or the WAN 120. In this manner, multiple paths, oneor more of which may bypass the WAN 120 and broadband connections suchas connections 126 a and 126 b. Traffic from any one of the assemblies202 ₁-202 ₇ to any other one or more of the assemblies 202 ₁-202 ₇ maytraverse any combination of one or more of the connections 116 a-116 h,126 a, and 126 b.

Accordingly, one of the connections 116 a-116 h, or a combination of aplurality of the connections 116 a-116 h, may serve as a backhaulconnection to the WAN 120. Similarly, one of the connections 116 a-116 h(“single hop”), or a combination of a plurality of the connections 116a-116 h (“multi-hop”), may enable traffic to be communicated among thesatellite reception assemblies 202 ₁-202 ₇ without the traffic having totraverse a third-party network controlled by an entity other than thesatellite service provider (e.g., the WAN 120 or portions thereof).

Traffic communicated between satellite reception assemblies maycomprise, for example, media content received from a satellite broadcastnetwork, web-based media content, email and/or other general webtraffic, cellular backhaul traffic, traffic that is part of a homeand/or neighborhood alarm and alerting system, traffic for monitoringand/or controlling home appliances, traffic for monitoring and/orcontrolling energy consumption, traffic offloaded from other networkssuch as the WAN 120, and/or any other suitable traffic.

Example communication scenarios are described below with reference toFIGS. 4A-5B.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating the use of a network of satellitereception assemblies to provide satellite service in spite of poorreception of a satellite signal. In block 402, a client 122 installed atcustomer premises 302 c may be desire to view a particular channel of asatellite broadcast television network.

In block 404, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₆ may be unable toreceive the satellite signal carrying the desired channel (e.g., becausethere is a physical obstruction in the way, or because the satellitereception assembly 202 ₆ has been knocked out of alignment).

In block 406, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₆ may participate ina discovery protocol to discover another satellite reception assemblythat can provide the desired channel via one or more of the connections116 a-116 h, 126 a, 126 b. The discovery protocol may comprise, forexample, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₆ transmitting a discoveryrequest via its module 106 and/or its module 108 and listening forresponses via its module 106 and/or its module 108. It may also includeconsulting a periodically-updated table of available receptionassemblies which it maintains, or which is available by some otherdatabase.

In block 408, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₇ responds that itcan provide the channel via the connection 116 g (perhaps in exchangefor some form of payment or credit). For example, the satellitereception assembly 202 ₇ may have a spare receive path that is not beingused by clients in the premises 302 d and thus, can be allocated forreceiving the desired channel. As another example, the satellitereception assembly 202 ₇ may already be providing the channel to aclient in the premises 302 d and, therefore, providing it to thesatellite reception assembly 202 ₆ may simply be a matter of replicatingthe output stream onto the connection 116 g.

In block 410, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₇ receives thedesired channel, processes it as desired or necessary for output on theconnection 116 g, and transmits it onto the connection 116 g. Thesatellite reception assembly 202 ₆ receives the channel via connection116 g, processes it as desired or necessary for conveyance to the client122, and outputs it to the client via its module 108.

FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating the use of a network of satellitereception assemblies to maintain connectivity in spite of a lost orcongested broadband connection. In block 412, a client 122 installed atcustomer premises 302 b is communicating with WAN 120 via connection 126b.

In block 414, the client 122 becomes unable to communicate over theconnection 126 b. This may be, for example, due to congestion on theconnection 126 b, to a network failure, and/or due to traffic shapingalgorithms being implemented on the connection 126 b.

In block 416, the client 122 (or the gateway 112 via which the client122 communicates over connection 126 b) may notify the satellitereception assembly 202 ₂ that it has lost WAN connectivity. In response,the satellite reception assembly 202 ₂ may participate in a discoveryprotocol to discover another satellite reception assembly that canprovide a connection to the WAN 120. The discovery protocol maycomprise, for example, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₂transmitting a discovery request via its module 106 and/or its module108 and listening for responses via its module 106 and/or its module108.

In another exemplary implementation of the invention, rather than arequest-based discovery protocol, satellite reception assemblies mayadvertise or broadcast availability of bandwidth and/or other resources.For example, where clients of a satellite reception assembly 202 _(X)are not using all of its resources (e.g., when the residents of thesatellite customer premises are sleeping or not home), the satellitereception assembly 202 _(X) may advertise (e.g., via a signal broadcastvia its module 106, via web site, etc.) that it has available resourceswhich can be allocated for serving other satellite reception assembliesand their respective client devices. Satellite reception assemblies maymaintain a routing table within 230 and periodically update these tablesbased on communication with other satellite reception assemblies.Similarly, a gateway 112 in premises 302 b may be operable to detectavailable resources on connection 126 and/or connection 116 h andadvertise its ability to route traffic via the available resources.

In block 418, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₁ responds that itcan provide a connection to the WAN 120 (e.g., in exchange for somepayment or credit). In this regard, the satellite reception assembly 202₁ may communicate with a gateway and/or other device installed atcustomer premises 302 a to determine that there is spare bandwidth onthe connection 126 a that can be allocated to handling traffic for theclient 122 installed in customer premises 302 b.

In block 420, communications between the client 122 and the WAN 120 mayresume via the connection 116 h and the connection 126 b. In thismanner, the network of satellite reception assemblies becomes theprimary means by which broadband connectivity is provided to thepremises 302 b while the connection 126 b is unavailable. The connection126 b may be unavailable because, for example, it is congested (e.g., asdetermined by the traffic on the connection 126 b exceeding a determinedthreshold) or because it has failed. Such connectivity may, for example,supplement, perhaps on-demand, upstream and/or downstream bandwidth whenupstream and/or downstream traffic on broadband connections such as theconnections 126 a and 126 b rises above a determined threshold (e.g., athreshold set by a network administrator). For example, a DSL serviceprovider may contract with a satellite service provider to provide suchsupplemental bandwidth in areas which have historically seen upstreamtraffic exceeding a particular threshold. Upstream and/or downstreamtraffic may then be offloaded to the network of satellite receptionassemblies at times that the upstream and/or downstream bandwidth is toomuch for a DSL connection to handle.

Similar to the scenario of a lost connection, where a premises has noother broadband connection in the first place (e.g., premises 302 d doesnot have a connection 126 to the WAN 120) the network of satellitereception assemblies may be the primary means of providing broadbandconnectivity to the premises. This may be advantageous, for example,where a network operator does not have the infrastructure (e.g., coaxialcable or fiber) in place to reach a premises (such as the premises 302d). That is, network of satellite reception assemblies may provide aquick, relatively low cost way to extend a service provider's coveragearea.

FIG. 4C is a flowchart illustrating support of mobile content deliveryvia a network of satellite reception assemblies. In an exampleimplementation, the content may be delivered to a mobile platform usingan existing cellular technology located at the satellite receptionassemblies. That is, in such an implementation, the blocks listed belowmay be implemented by leveraging existing cellular communication systemsand technologies. In block 422, content from a digital video recorderinstalled in satellite customer premises 302 a is being streamed to amobile device via the module 106 of the satellite reception assembly 202₂.

In block 424, the mobile leaves the premises 302 b headed towardpremises 302 a. In block 426, the mobile is handed-off to the satellitereception assembly 202 ₁, the content from the DVR in premises 302 b isredirected to the satellite reception assembly 202 ₁ via connection 116h, and the satellite reception assembly 202 ₁ transmits the content tothe mobile device via its module 106.

In block 428, the mobile leaves the premises 302 b headed towardpremises 302 c. In block 430, the mobile is handed-off to the satellitereception assembly 202 ₃, the content from the DVR in premises 302 b isredirected to the satellite reception assembly 202 ₃ via connection 116a rather than connection 116 h, and the satellite reception assembly 202₃ transmits the content to the mobile device via its module 106.

In block 432, as the mobile continues to move toward premises 302 c, themobile is handed-off to the satellite reception assembly 202 ₄, and theconnection 116 c is added to the path of the content from the DVR inpremises 302 b such that the content reaches the mobile device via apath comprising 116 a, 116 c, and a connection to the module 106 ofsatellite reception assembly 202 ₄.

In block 434, as the mobile continues to move toward premises 302 c, themobile is handed-off to the satellite reception assembly 202 ₅, and theconnection 116 d is added to the path of the content from the DVR inpremises 302 b such that the content reaches the mobile device via apath comprising 116 a, 116 c, 116 d, and a connection to the module 106of satellite reception assembly 202 ₄.

In block 436, as the mobile continues to move toward premises 302 c, themobile is handed-off to the satellite reception assembly 202 ₆, and theconnection 116 f is added to the path of the content from the DVR inpremises 302 b such that the content reaches the mobile device via apath comprising 116 a, 116 c, 116 d, 116 f, and a connection to themodule 106 of satellite reception assembly 202 ₄.

In this manner, the network of satellite reception assemblies may enablemobile delivery of the DVR content without use of the WAN 120.

FIG. 4D is a flowchart illustrating self-healing of a network ofsatellite reception assemblies. In block 440, satellite receptionassembly 202 ₆ is receiving content from the WAN 120 via connections 116e and 116 f. In block 442, the connection 116 e becomes unavailable forcarrying the content to the satellite reception assembly 202 ₆ (e.g.,connection 116 e is congested or has failed). For example, theconnection 116 e may fail or higher priority traffic may use up allbandwidth on the connection 116 e. In block 444, a healing algorithm,spanning tree algorithm, and/or other mechanism for finding a new pathover which to deliver the content from WAN 120 to satellite receptionassembly 202 ₆ is implemented by the satellite reception assemblies. Apath comprising 126 b, 116 a, 116 c, 116 d, and 116 f is identified. Inblock 446, delivery of the content resumes using the new path.

FIG. 5A is a flowchart illustrating discovery of satellite receptionassemblies that have available resources for serving satellite contentto another satellite reception assembly. In block 502, the satellitereception assembly 202 ₇ receives, via connection 116 g, a request toreceive a satellite channel on behalf of satellite reception assembly202 ₆ and transmit the satellite channel to the satellite receptionassembly 202 ₆. In block 504, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₇determines whether it is already receiving the requested channel. If thechannel is already being received by the satellite reception assembly202 ₇, then, in block 510, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₇determines whether it has available bandwidth in its module 106 totransmit the satellite channel onto the connection 116 g. If there isavailable bandwidth, then in block 512, the satellite reception assembly202 ₇ may respond to the request with an offer to provide the satellitechannel to the satellite reception assembly 202 ₆.

Returning to block 504, if the satellite reception assembly 202 ₇ is notalready receiving the requested channel, then, in block 506, thesatellite reception assembly 202 ₇ determines whether it has availableresources (e.g., spare LNB path) for receiving the requested channel. Ifthe satellite reception assembly 202 ₇ has sufficient availableresources for receiving the requested satellite channel, then the blocksmay advance to block 510. If the satellite reception assembly 202 ₇ doesnot have sufficient available resources for receiving the requestedsatellite channel, then, in block 508, the satellite reception assembly202 ₇ may deny the request or simply not respond to the request.

FIG. 5B is a flowchart illustrating discovery of satellite receptionassemblies that have available bandwidth for providing WAN connectivityto another satellite reception assembly. In block 522, satellitereception assembly 202 ₁ receives a request, from satellite receptionassembly 202 ₂, to provide a connection to the WAN 120 via theconnection 116 g. In block 524, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₁determines whether there is available bandwidth on the connection 126 ato support the request. This determination may involve, for example, anexchange of messages with a gateway installed at customer premises 302a. If there is sufficient available bandwidth on the connection 126 a,then in block 526 the satellite reception assembly 202 ₁ determineswhether its module 106 has sufficient available bandwidth to handle thetraffic between the connection 126 a and the satellite receptionassembly 202 ₂. If there is sufficient available bandwidth, then inblock 530, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₁ may respond to therequest with an offer to provide the satellite channel to the satellitereception assembly 202 ₂.

Returning to block 526, if the module 106 of the satellite receptionassembly 202 ₁ does not have sufficient available resources to handlethe traffic between connection 126 a and satellite reception assembly202 ₂, then in block 528, the satellite reception assembly 202 ₁ maydeny the request or simply not respond to the request.

Returning to block 524, if there is not sufficient available bandwidthon the connection 126 a to support the traffic to and from the satellitereception assembly 202 ₂, then the blocks may proceed to block 528.

FIG. 5C is a flowchart illustrating coordinated bandwidth allocationand/or traffic shaping between a wireline/fiber connection and aninter-satellite-reception-assembly connection. In an exampleimplementation, BW allocated for (and/or data rate limit imposed on)traffic to/from a client on a connection 126 (e.g., a fiber or wirelineconnection) may be coordinated with BW allocated for (and/or data ratelimit imposed on) traffic to/from the client on a connection 116 to asatellite reception assembly that is co-located with the client. FIG. 5Cillustrates an example. In block 540, client 122 in premises 302 b iscommunicating with WAN 120 via connection 126 b, and also via the pathcomprising connections 116 h and 126 a. In block 542, the bandwidthallocated to (and/or the data rate limit imposed on) traffic to/fromclient 122 on connection 126 b is changed (i.e., increased ordecreased). The change may be imposed, for example, by the headendand/or by a gateway in the premises 302 b implementing a traffic shapingalgorithm. In block 544, in response to the change in block 542, thebandwidth allocated to (and/or the data rate limit imposed on) trafficto/from client 122 on connection 116 h and/or connection 126 a ischanged (i.e., increased or decreased). The change in allocatedbandwidth may be coordinated by, for example, a control message from thegateway 112 in the premises 302 b to the assembly 202 ₂. For example,the change in block 544 might be an increase to compensate (at leastpartially) for a decrease in block 542, and visa-versa. Similarly, achange in bandwidth and/or data rate limit on the connections 116 hand/or 126 a may be compensated for (at least partially) by a change inbandwidth and/or data rate limit on the connection 126 b.

FIG. 5D is a flowchart illustrating traffic shaping by a gatewayconnected to satellite reception assembly capable of direct wirelesscommunications with other satellite reception assemblies. In block 550,a gateway 221 in premises 302 a establishes a connection 114 tosatellite reception assembly 202 ₁ and a connection 126 a to WAN 120.The satellite reception assembly 202 ₁ in turn establishes a directwireless connection 116 h to satellite reception assembly 202 ₂. Inblock 552, the gateway 112 determines characteristics of a first path toWAN 120 comprising connection 126 a, and characteristics of a secondpath to WAN 210 comprising connections 114, 116 h, and 126 b. In block554, traffic destined for the WAN 120 arrives at the gateway 112. Thegateway 12 inspects the traffic and determines to route the traffic viathe first path or the second path based on quality of servicerequirements of the traffic and the characteristics of the pathsdetermined in block 552. For example, the gateway 112 may determinewhich path currently has lower latency and route voice traffic via thatpath while routing latency-insensitive data via the other path. Asanother example, for traffic requiring low packet jitter, the gateway112 may determine which of the paths has lower jitter and may transmitthe traffic via that path. Subsequent to block 554, the steps mayperiodically and/or occasionally return to step 552 to re-learn currentcharacteristics of the two paths.

Although various processes of FIGS. 4A-5D are described as beingperformed by particular modules (e.g., by module 202) such processes maybe performed by other modules (e.g., by gateway 212) or byinteroperation of a multiple modules.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a network in which local ormetropolitan area networks of satellite reception assemblies areinterconnected via a wide area network. As shown in FIG. 6, a pluralityof satellite reception assemblies may be organized into a satellitelocal area network (SatLAN) which interacts with other SatLANs via awide area network such as the WAN 120. In this manner, permissions,network addressing, etc. in a particular SatLAN may be similar topermissions, network addressing, etc. of other LAN technologies such asEthernet. For example, each of satellite reception assemblies 202 ₈-202₁₀ may be part of a common SatLAN and may be part of a common subnetand/or have common permission settings to various content and/or networkresources.

In an example implementation, intra-satLAN traffic and/or inter-SatLANtraffic may be propagated using flooding and/or routing techniques. Inan example implementation, where multiple paths exist between two ormore satellite reception assemblies, the satellite reception assembliesof a SatLAN may be operable to implement self-healing algorithms toovercome bad and/or broken connections between satellite receptionassemblies. In an example implementation, the satellite receptionassemblies may be operable to implement one or more protocols such asIEEE 802.11d (Spanning Tree Protocol), IEEE 802.11s (Hybrid WirelessMesh Protocol), protocols for peer-to-peer or ad-hoc network, and/orsimilar protocols for managing connections and forwarding/routing oftraffic between/among satellite reception assemblies.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example implementation in which multiplesatellite reception assemblies are networked via a network switch. Asshown, each of a plurality of satellite reception assemblies 202 ₁-202_(N) (N being an integer) may be connected to a WAN via a switch/trafficaggregator 702 and a broadband connection 706. As shown in FIG. 7A, theconnections 704 ₁-704 _(N) between the satellite reception assembliesand the switch 702 may be wired and/or optical. Such connections may bedirect connections from the respective modules 108 and/or may be viarespective gateway devices. As shown in FIG. 7B, the connections 704₁-704 _(N) between the satellite reception assemblies and the switch 702may be wireless connections. The wireless connections may be directwireless connections between the respective modules 106 and the switch702.

Other implementations may provide a non-transitory computer readablemedium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machine readablemedium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machine codeand/or a computer program having at least one code section executable bya machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computerto perform the processes as described herein for a mesh network ofsatellite reception assemblies.

Accordingly, the present method and/or system may be realized inhardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Thepresent method and/or system may be realized in a centralized fashion inat least one computing system, or in a distributed fashion wheredifferent elements are spread across several interconnected computingsystems. Any kind of computing system or other apparatus adapted forcarrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typicalcombination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computingsystem with a program or other code that, when being loaded andexecuted, controls the computing system such that it carries out themethods described herein. Another typical implementation may comprise anapplication specific integrated circuit or chip.

The present method and/or system may also be embedded in a computerprogram product, which comprises all the features enabling theimplementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded ina computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer programin the present context means any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form.

While the present method and/or system has been described with referenceto certain implementations, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes may be made and equivalents may besubstituted without departing from the scope of the present methodand/or system. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings of the presentdisclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intendedthat the present method and/or system not be limited to the particularimplementations disclosed, but that the present method and/or systemwill include all implementations falling within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: performing by a firstsatellite reception assembly that comprises a wireless transmitter andis installed at a first satellite customer premises: receiving asatellite signal from a direct broadcast satellite and providing datarecovered from said received satellite signal to a first client deviceinstalled at said first satellite customer premises; receiving trafficfrom said first client device; communicating said traffic from saidfirst client device to a second satellite reception assembly via adirect wireless connection between said wireless transmitter of saidsatellite reception assembly and a second satellite reception assembly.2. The method of claim 1, wherein: said first client device is coupledto said first satellite reception assembly and to a fiber, cable, or DSLconnection via a gateway device; and said fiber, cable, or DSLconnection and said direct wireless connection each provide Internetconnectivity to said first client device.
 3. A method comprising:performing by a first satellite reception assembly: communicating databetween a client device and a second satellite reception assembly, saidcommunicating being via a connection between said second satellitereception assembly and a wireless transmitter of said first satellitereception assembly.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein: said satellitesignal is from a direct broadcast satellite; and said first satellitereception assembly and said client device are installed at a home oroffice of a first direct broadcast satellite subscriber.
 5. The methodof claim 4, wherein said first satellite reception assembly comprises aparabolic reflector, a feed horn, and a wireless module attached to acommon support structure, said support structure being adapted formounting to an exterior of said home or office.
 6. The method of claim4, wherein said second satellite reception assembly is installed at ahome or office of a second direct broadcast satellite subscriber.
 7. Themethod of 6, comprising, performing said communicating said data betweensaid client device and said second satellite reception assembly inresponse to said first satellite reception assembly being unable toreceive a satellite signal carrying said data.
 8. The method of claim 3,comprising, prior to said communicating: determining that said firstsatellite reception assembly is unable to receive a particular satellitesignal; and establishing said connection between said second satellitereception assembly and said wireless transmitter of said first satellitereception assembly in response to discovering that said second satellitereception assembly is able to receive said particular satellite signal.9. The method of claim 3, wherein: said first satellite receptionassembly is coupled to a wide area network via a first broadbandconnection; said second satellite reception assembly is coupled to saidwide area network via a second broadband connection; said data isdestined for said wide area network; and said communicating said databetween said client device and said second satellite reception assemblyoffloads traffic from said first broadband connection to said secondbroadband connection.
 10. The method of claim 3, wherein: said clientdevice is coupled to a broadband connection; and said communicating saiddata between said client device and a second satellite receptionassembly is in response to a determination that said broadbandconnection is unavailable.
 11. The method of claim 3, wherein: saidclient device is connected to said first satellite reception assemblyvia a gateway device residing along with said client device in apremises; said gateway is also connected to a network via a broadbandconnection; and said gateway is operable to decide between transmittingtraffic via said broadband connection and transmitting said traffic viasaid connection between said first satellite reception assembly and saidsecond satellite reception assembly, wherein said decision is based oncharacteristics of said traffic, characteristics of said broadbandconnection, and/or characteristics of said connection between said firstsatellite reception assembly and said second satellite receptionassembly.
 12. A system comprising: one or more circuits for use in afirst satellite reception assembly, said one or more circuits beingoperable to: communicate data between a client device and a secondsatellite reception assembly, said communicating being via a connectionbetween said second satellite reception assembly and a wirelesstransmitter of said first satellite reception assembly.
 14. The systemof claim 13, wherein: said satellite signal is from a direct broadcastsatellite; and said first satellite reception assembly and said clientdevice are installed at a home or office of a first direct broadcastsatellite subscriber.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein: said firstsatellite reception assembly comprises a parabolic reflector, a feedhorn, and a wireless module attached to a common support structure, saidsupport structure being adapted for mounting to an exterior of said homeor office.
 16. The system of claim 14, wherein said second satellitereception assembly is installed at a home or office of a second directbroadcast satellite subscriber.
 17. The system of claim 13, wherein saidone or more circuits are operable to perform said communicating saiddata between said client device and said second satellite receptionassembly in response to said first satellite reception assembly beingunable to receive a satellite signal.
 18. The system of claim 13,wherein said one or more circuits are operable to: determine that saidfirst satellite reception assembly is unable to receive a particularsatellite signal; and establishing said connection between said secondsatellite reception assembly and said wireless transmitter of said firstsatellite reception assembly in response to a discovery that said secondsatellite reception assembly is able to receive said particularsatellite signal.
 20. The system of claim 13, wherein: said firstsatellite reception assembly is coupled to a wide area network via afirst broadband connection; said second satellite reception assembly iscoupled to said wide area network via a second broadband connection;said data is destined for said wide area network; and said communicationof said data offloads traffic from said first broadband connection tosaid second broadband connection.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein:said client device is coupled to a broadband connection; and saidcommunication of said data between said client device and a secondsatellite reception assembly is in response to a determination that saidbroadband connection is unavailable.
 22. The system of claim 13,wherein: said client device is connected to said first satellitereception assembly via a gateway device residing along with said clientdevice in a premises; said gateway is also connected to a network via abroadband connection; and said gateway is operable to decide betweentransmitting traffic via said broadband connection and transmitting saidtraffic via said connection between said first satellite receptionassembly and said second satellite reception assembly, wherein saiddecision is based on characteristics of said traffic, characteristics ofsaid broadband connection, and/or characteristics of said connectionbetween said first satellite reception assembly and said secondsatellite reception assembly.